Temperate Forest Ecosystem

The temperate forests of the world are shown in black on this map. Click on image for full size (49K JPG) Windows Original

The temperate forest ecosystem is very important on Earth. Temperate forests are in regions where the climate changes a lot from summer to winter. Tropical rain forests are in regions where the climate stays constant all year long.

Temperate forests are almost always made of two types of trees, deciduous and evergreen. Deciduous trees are trees that lose their leaves in the winter. Evergreens are trees that keep them all year long, like pine trees. Forests can either be one or the other, or a combonation of both. A fourth kind of forest is a temperate rain forest. These are found in California, Oregon and Washington in the United States. These forests are made of redwoods and sequoias, the tallest trees in the world.

The amount of rainfall in an area determines if a forest is present. If there is enough rain to support trees, than a forest will usually develop. Otherwise, the region will become grassland.

The temperate forests of the world are shown in black on this map. Click on image for full size (49K JPG) Windows Original

The temperate forest ecosystem is very important on Earth. Temperate forests are in regions where the climate changes a lot from summer to winter. Tropical rain forests are in regions where the climate stays constant all year long.

Temperate forests are almost always made of two types of trees, deciduous and evergreen. Deciduous trees are trees that lose their leaves in the winter. Evergreens are trees that keep them all year long, like pine trees. Forests can either be one or the other, or a combonation of both. A fourth kind of forest is a temperate rain forest. These are found in California, Oregon and Washington in the United States. These forests are made of redwoods and sequoias, the tallest trees in the world.

The amount of rainfall in an area determines if a forest is present. If there is enough rain to support trees, than a forest will usually develop. Otherwise, the region will become grassland.

The temperate forests of the world are shown in black on this map. Click on image for full size (49K JPG) Windows Original

Temperate forests are found all over the world. There are three types of trees found in a temperate forest. Some lose their leaves in the winter, while others keep their leaves all year, like pine trees. The third kind is made of giant sequoia and redwood trees.

Temperate forests are different than tropical rain forests. Rain forests are in areas where it is warm all year long. But temperate forests can live in areas where there is snow! If there is enough water for trees to grow, then a forest will start. Otherwise, the land will be grassland.